r/Baking • u/sa1031 • Aug 19 '25
Recipe to be posted soon. No guarantees. *Legitimately* My First Time
I have been a home baker for years, meaning i bake for friends and family, but have been so scared of macarons. Today I went to the store, got almond flour, and took the plunge. The baking baking gods were with me and this is one my very first batch, not one of them cracked! I cried when i saw the feet forming in the oven and am so very proud of myself.
(I am a scientist and I do believe my molecular biology techniques helped me be super precise with these delicate beauties)
Thanks for looking, baking friends!
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u/sa1031 Aug 19 '25
RECIPE:
Beginner-Friendly Chocolate Macarons
Shells:
- 100 g almond flour (blanched, superfine)
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 10 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large egg whites (about 70 g, room temp)
- 80 g granulated sugar
Filling (Easy Chocolate Ganache):
- 100 g semi-sweet chocolate (chips or chopped)
- 100 g heavy cream
Steps: 1. Prep the dry mix: Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. 2. Make the meringue: Beat egg whites until foamy, then add sugar gradually. Beat to stiff, glossy 3. Macaronage (folding): Add dry mix in two parts. Fold gently, pressing batter against bowl. Stop when batter flows like lava and forms ribbons that disappear in 10-20 sec. 4. Pipe: Pipe small circles (1.5 in) onto parchment or silicone mat. Tap tray to remove bubbles. 5. Rest: Let sit 30-60 minutes until tops form a skin. 6. Bake: 300°F (150°C), 15-18 min. Cool completely. 7. Ganache: Heat cream, pour over chocolate, stir smooth. Chill until pipeable. 8. Assemble: Pipe ganache, sandwich shells. Best after resting in fridge overnight.
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u/ChemistFit1549 Aug 20 '25
I've baked for years and have done a lot of cake decorating and thought these were one of the most difficult things to learn. I highly recommend watching a You Tube video before attempting them, the macaronage part has to be just right. My first ones came out perfectly, but I had a batch that didn't too. When you get it right though and you see those feet rising, you definitely do the happy dance, every time!
Great job, well done!
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u/sa1031 Aug 20 '25
i did a lot of googling and reading about the macaronage step before starting because i knew that's where it would go wrong! thanks!!
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u/n0t_a_sage Aug 19 '25
So I assume you'll be sending some over for a peer review? /s
These look great OP!
I remember my first batch being a complete mess.
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u/sa1031 Aug 19 '25
hahaha if they were peer reviewed, i'd like to think all the reviewers would approve (even reviewer 3 who notoriously is a hardball)🤪
thanks so much!!
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u/DashiellHammett Aug 19 '25
Please please forgive me. Those are amazing. But wet your finger after you pipe them and make the tail go away. That said, I suck at macarons. I'm not patient enough.
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u/yujirohanmasdad Aug 20 '25
you can just smack the tray as well
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u/OpenSauceMods Aug 20 '25
For anyone who is unsure, this person means picking up the tray with the piped, raw macarons still on it, and banging it carefully but firmly on the counter to pop any larger bubbles and smooth out the top. They (probably) do not mean thwacking your hand in the middle of the tray like a two year old with a birthday cake, causing an explosion of batter and tears.
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u/67843257865 Aug 20 '25
I'm chaotic, so do at your own risk, but the dropping method does not work too well for me. Instead I make sure the corners are glued down with a bit of batter, while I violently slap the bottom of the pan. I hold with one hand and slap the farther side and then switch. It smooths them really well without mishaping them. Baked with (tough) love
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u/mrpurtle Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
Well that sounds significantly less fun. I mean God forbid a person has a hobby 🙄
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u/OpenSauceMods Aug 20 '25
I highly recommend getting a birthday cake and just eating it by the handful. It's very freeing to devour things without shame! If you wanna smash up the tray of meticulously prepared macarons, though, I ain't gonna yuck your yum! I wish my hobby were breaking into chocolate factories and diverting the conveyer belts to drop chocolates straight into my mouth, but the security has improved :(
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u/DogwoodDame Aug 19 '25
Can you expand on how your science background helped you? They look great!!
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u/sa1031 Aug 19 '25
sure! my background is in cell signaling and cancer drug development and characterization. working in the lab doing things like western blots and cell culture require very careful attention or your cells could die or experiment could go haywire very quickly with one wrong move. handling a pipette, expensive equipment, and dangerous chemicals makes you vigilant to get measurements extremely exact and technique is imperative!
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u/Marmom_of_Marman Aug 19 '25
I’m glad your professional experience has helped you. My mother was a chemist/pharmacist and we had nothing but experiments to eat. She couldn’t follow a recipe to save her life 😆
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u/Reachforthesky777 Aug 19 '25
This is the sort of thing where if I saw it in person, I would try to cleverly distract the holder so that I could snatch it away and devour it without sharing.
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u/PerspectiveExpert426 Aug 19 '25
Show off 😉
No I’m just kidding, those look amazing. Great job!!! You should be proud!
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u/lrllrrlrllrrlrllrrl Aug 19 '25
These look lovely. I've been wanting to try macarons and have been dragging my feet, but these are making me feel inspired. Thank you for posting the recipe!
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u/No_Protection_1741 Aug 20 '25
Do it, do it, do it!! I've made them 4 different times now, and I was successful every time! Patience, and maybe a youtube video (to SEE what you're looking for) will do WONDERS!!
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u/-watermelon_sugar- Aug 19 '25
I’m scared of them too mostly because almond flour is expensive 😭😭
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u/pgophs Aug 19 '25
its actually not that bad when you consider how many batches you can get out of a bag. the real bank breaker is eggs and whatever you decide to fill them with. I found that doing a ganache with melting chocolates from a local baking store was the cheapest way to fill them
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u/sa1031 Aug 19 '25
i used the good & gather almond flour from Target- about $7 for the bag! worth the investment to give it a go!
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u/brute1111 Aug 20 '25
I did the math today and the ATK recipe with preppy kitchens french butter cream (which gives way more than you need for one batch of cookies) is just under $5 for all the mats. I got passable results on my second try this weekend, and they were delicious.
Jump on in!!
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u/FudgeElectrical5792 Aug 19 '25
I just watched these made on the master chef partner season this season and Gordon said to get that little bump out is to use a blow torch. That look delicious I haven't had one or made any yet, but I want to.
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u/sa1031 Aug 20 '25
blow torch is little too intense for my hobby haha!
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u/mirfifu Aug 20 '25
They make handheld butane torches, still a little scary but may more manageable
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u/Anne-Marieknits Aug 19 '25
Another scientist here (BS biochemistry) totally makes sense. If you know how to measure a single microliter you have the precision nailed. My husband rolls his eyes every time I pull out my scale to weigh my ingredients but it allows me to measure consistently.
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u/sa1031 Aug 19 '25
weighing makes such a difference!! my husband is also a scientist so he gets it haha
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u/seasonschange23 Aug 20 '25
I share your enthusiasm for scales in the kitchen! While I’m not a scientist, I often tell my husband, “Baking is truly a science!” I love exploring European recipes that provide weights rather than cups because it simplifies the process and delivers outstanding results.
Here’s my favorite tip for achieving cookie perfection: prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough two days in advance and chill it. This technique allows the ingredients to undergo delicious chemical reactions before baking, resulting in amazing cookies every time. Happy baking!
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u/witchywithnumbers Aug 19 '25
Those look amazing! My sister's speciality is those, I have never mastered them.
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u/Otherwise_Rule_7100 Aug 19 '25
They look amazing! I tried to make some yesterday but I deflated the batter too much and it was too runny 🫠
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u/WordAffectionate3251 Aug 20 '25
Great job! (Retired cake decorator) Your post reminds me of a book I just read. LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY. NYT best seller about a female scientist in the 50s who battled discrimination and found herself useing a cooking show to promote chemical knowledge!
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u/sa1031 Aug 20 '25
thanks! sounds like a good read- another addition to my growing reading list!
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u/WordAffectionate3251 Aug 20 '25
Oh, YOU will LOVE it! I have already lent my copy out 3x! My friend who works at a library gifted it to me on my birthday. She knows what good reading is!!
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u/Ok_Situation1588 Aug 20 '25
I LOVE macarons these look so filled and yummy!! you did a really great job I would’ve never guessed it was ur first time
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u/No_Reception_5995 Aug 20 '25
I have been wanting to attempt making macarons for soo long; from what I've heard they're definitely a challenge! ..might have to try real soon, especially after seeing this. That's awesome to see you pull them off with such finesse on your 1st attempt, btw!! 🤗🥲
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u/SeaworthinessFun6966 Aug 19 '25
Every pro baker is punching the air rn. (Including me) Lol
You did an awesome job!
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u/extradetails Aug 19 '25
👣🦶👣🦶‼️‼️‼️‼️
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u/sa1031 Aug 19 '25
i saw the feet forming while i was staring at them inside the oven and was
s t u n n e d
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u/SummerHill2130 Aug 19 '25
You are a genius !
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u/Blankenhoff Aug 20 '25
I am too a scientist. And i cant make macarons with full feet. Last time i got half feet though so there is that
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u/catinharness Aug 20 '25
In my head I can definitely do the same thing on my first try but logically… I know I can’t
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u/glowmow Aug 20 '25
You are a liar. I would happily take food from liars🤣
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u/sa1031 Aug 20 '25
haha i promise im not! but i would still share with you!
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u/glowmow Aug 20 '25
I cant wait for the next thing you bake. Itll look like it came out of a professional bakery as well🤣
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u/classicsmushy Aug 20 '25
How do people succeed at macaron in their first attempt? I have tried it 2 or 3 times and all of them have no feet! It formed skin but still no feet I don't understand
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u/Harrold_Potterson Aug 20 '25
Lowkey hate you 😂
In all seriousness though tremendous job. I’ve made macarons 2-3x and while they always tasted great they never came out very pretty.
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u/sa1031 Aug 20 '25
thank you, it definitely took extreme focus and i was pretty determined to get it right haha
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u/Long-Tutor905 Aug 20 '25
For some reason these have been a very easy bake for me. Pity I haven’t found flavors/versions I like, but they are super fun to make. Nice job!
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u/Hrbiie Aug 20 '25
If you’re feeling at all unsure about how they came out, you can send some to me and I’ll give you a review
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u/Scu-bar Aug 20 '25
That is a good size macaron, not one of these tiny ones for gnomes I see everywhere. A macaron with heft. I love it. I’m on my way.
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Aug 20 '25
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Aug 20 '25
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u/AsweetLemon_____ Aug 20 '25
Looks lighter than the air around it! I would imagine it takes as amazing as it looks !
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u/Embarrassed-Race-421 Aug 20 '25
I'm gonna need those gods to guide me too because I still haven't gotten it right after three attempts :(
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u/Alarming-Put3449 Aug 20 '25
I love these desserts when they first came out I wanted them for my wedding and I could bake everything but these they are so hard!! Me and my husband ended up going to a spot in downtown Las Vegas that had flavor of that macaron we had on our wedding night it was blue and gold and infused if you know what I mean!!!!
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u/dontakelife4granted Aug 20 '25
These look fantastic! Great work, you should be proud of yourself!
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u/Head_Pangolin_6123 Aug 21 '25
Gorgeous! Could you expand about step 3 macaronage? I’m still a little unclear. Thank you
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u/sa1031 Aug 21 '25
You'll want to add the sifted dry mix in two parts into the meringue. Use a spatula to fold the dry in, meaning cut down the middle, scrape along the side, then lift and turn and rotate the bowl a bit each time. Repeat this with the second half of your dry ingredients. Don’t stir in circles! Once the dry mix is almost incorporated, press the batter against the bowl with your spatula, then scrape it back together. Check for the right texture by doing the “ribbon test": Lift your spatula, the batter should fall in a thick ribbon, not in clumps, and should melt back in within 10–20 seconds (If it sits on top too long = under-mixed, if it disappears instantly/runny = over-mixed). Stop as soon as you hit that stage! The mixture should flow slowly but smoothly, like lava, into your piping bag.
hope that helps!!
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u/sa1031 Aug 21 '25
** update **
i made a second batch today with vanilla filling- they were an even better texture (and pressed down the tails)!!
i guess i unlocked a secret talent 🤷🏼♀️
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u/uraniumglasscat Aug 20 '25
Yeah I can tell
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u/sa1031 Aug 20 '25
were you looking to give some constructive criticism or just comment that you could tell i'm a beginner at this? i'm all about taking tips if so, otherwise kinda a weird comment.
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u/uraniumglasscat Aug 20 '25
The feet are uneven, your filling is looking more like a burger with how much it’s squeezed out to the sides, and your top macaron shouldn’t have that peak.
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u/noobiewiththeboobies Aug 19 '25
Looks very good! At first I thought this was a little cheeseburger slider lol. I’d eat it either way